Meet the First Nigerian Governor Who Resigned Before Decamping—and Why It Still Matters Today
In Nigerian politics today, it’s common to see politicians leave the party that brought them to power and join another—often without any consequences. But it wasn’t always like this.
Muhammadu Abubakar Rimi, the first civilian governor of the old Kano State, made history for doing what few politicians would dare. Elected under Aminu Kano’s PRP, Rimi later chose to switch to Nnamdi Azikiwe’s NPP. But before making the move, he resigned from office—believing it was wrong to keep a seat he won under a different party. It was a bold and principled act that showed respect for voters and party loyalty.
Today, things are quite different. The Nigerian Constitution doesn’t clearly say what should happen when elected leaders defect—especially governors and presidents. Because of that, many switch sides and keep their positions. This usually benefits the ruling party, while the opposition loses strength.
Although lawmakers in the National Assembly are discussing changes to the constitution, none of the current bills address this growing problem of party-switching. Without rules in place, political loyalty weakens, and voters may feel that their choices at the ballot box don’t really matter.
The story of Rimi reminds us that politics can be guided by principle. But without legal reform, party defections may continue to erode trust in Nigeria’s democracy.
